Shifting Black and White Exterior Taking Shape at River City 3

Saucier + Perrotte Architects are building upon their track record in Toronto's West Don Lands, as construction of Urban Capital Property Group's River City Condos Phase 3 adds to the avant garde first two phases at the community. The 29-storey condominium development's dramatic massing utilizes a series of drawer-like volumes on the building's north, south, and southeast elevations, giving it a distinctive character that sets the building apart from everything else, even its phase 1 and 2 neighbours.

Southeast view of River City 3 showing the "drawer" projections, image by Forum contributor skycandy

The image above shows the tower now standing 21 storeys above River Street, leaving just 8 residential floors plus the mechanical penthouse level to form before the structure reaches its final 100-metre height. As structural forming progresses, so too has the progress on installation of the building's envelope. A sleek, dark-tinted window wall cladding system now reaches the 11th floor of the tower, sealing off the lower levels and allowing work to progress on interior spaces.

North view of RC3 (left) with phases 2 and 1 (right), image by Forum contributor skycandy

The image above provides a glimpse at the cladding work on the projecting volumes, which are being finished in a combination of white panel cladding and glass balcony guard-rails. The photo also shows that framing is now in place for the first of the building's balconies, which will soon be finished with clear, smoked, or gold-hued glazing for various suites, with a frit pattern designed to reduce the frequency of bird strikes where applicable.

Cladding on the south side of RC3, image by Forum contributor skycandy

The tower's east and west elevations are being clad in a glass window wall system with capless aluminum mullions, finished with smoked balcony glass. On the south side, opaque black panels will contrast sharply against the white cladding panels used for the 'drawer' projections.

Northeast view of River City 3, image by Forum contributor skycandy

For a little fun, we've composited a recent construction photo over one of the project's renderings to give you an idea of what's been accomplished so far, and where we're heading!

We will keep you up to date as construction carries along. Additional information and high-res renderings can be found in the project's Database file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts on RC3? Feel free to comment in the field provided on this page, or join in the ongoing conversation in the associated Forum thread.